Captured in Time
by Milui Elenath
Summary: Diverted from their destination by unknown error SG-1 finds themselves inside a barren ice cavern that contains a foreboding object from Vala's past, an object that holds dire consequences for the entire team. Daniel Vala pairing. Canon based. Mission based adventure including Sam, Cam and Teal'c.
1. Chapter 1

**Captured in Time**

by Milui Elenath

Disclaimer: This is posted on fanfiction, if I owned the rights to Stargate SG-1 I'd be making season 11 or at least a Daniel and Vala spin off. I do however own the rights to this story concept and in light of that please don't copy scenes or plagiarise my work.

Authors note: This is my first _SG-1_ fanfiction (not my first fanfiction however) I hope it is enjoyable and reasonably in character. Constructive criticism is welcome – pace, plot, characterisation etc. Most of all thanks for taking the time to read. Oh and by the way I am using Australian spelling.

**Chapter One**

"What exactly is so important about this PX37-uht-ner-foo anyway?" Vala garbled the planets designation numbers in a jumble of sounds as she waited alongside her team for the gate to dial.

"PX37-five-six-two" Daniel corrected, enunciating each numeral in annoyance and finishing with a sigh of exasperation and a glare that matched.

Seemingly oblivious to his reprove Vala smiled at him "Isn't that what I said darling?"

"No that's not what you said," Daniel bent to tie his shoe, removing eye contact in a deliberate show of his irritation, "what you said was a jumble of sounds to cover up the fact that you don't know the designation number alongside admitting that you don't know the reason for us going."

"I knew the designation," Vala protested lightly, "I just wanted to be sure you were listening." She gave him a mischievous smile that remained unnoticed while Daniel fussed unhurriedly with his pant leg.

Vala felt herself sag a little at his reaction. It really was true; she did know the exact designation of the star gate address. In fact she remembered the briefing very clearly. The projected climate was temperate, the immediate terrain surrounding the star gate, mountainous and the purpose of their mission was to interpret, examine and possibly obtain the artefact that the UAV had photographed less than two clicks away that appeared to have ancient writing upon it. She had even mused to herself that the writing though indecipherable from the image looked oddly familiar.

As for her pretence that she didn't know where they were going or why, she couldn't decide why she maintained it. Originally it was born out of belief that it was always better to be underestimated but she had come to understand that it was no longer an entirely effective ploy. The SG1 team, her team, knew her too well. Vala glanced at Sam and found her failure confirmed by the return of Sam's sympathetic and conspiratorial smile.

Colonel Samantha Carter's smile continued to play on her lips; she found Vala's attempts at underplay endearing, even bemusing at times. She was well aware that Vala most likely knew not only the exact SGC designation number but also the common name given to the planet by other star systems, probably its location on star charts if they existed and more definitely the likelihood of it containing minerals, technology and anything else of significant value. Why Daniel seemed to be unaware of Vala's deliberate misdirection Sam had not yet calculated. She had tried to point it out to him on a few occasions but the topic of Vala evoked hostile reactions and so she wisely decided to let Vala fend for herself.

Teal'c shifted slightly beside Sam, checking his weapons were placed within easy reach as the chevrons began to lock. Even after all this time he did not understand the T'auri's compulsion to designate numbers to each planet. To him the address would always be in chevrons rather than a randomly assigned combination of letters and numbers. He briefly pondered whether Vala's mispronunciation of the designation was an irreverent disregard of the T'auri system or whether she did it for the inevitable reaction Daniel Jackson would make or some combination of the two. Teal'c made no further conclusion turning his mind to more serious matters of preparation.

Colonel Cameron Mitchell grinned and surveyed the team feeling comforted by the interplay. He was a man who liked routine and predictability in his team, the interchange between Vala and Jackson meant everything was as it should be. He thought he completely understood Vala's reasons for her continual deception. He himself underplayed his knowledge on occasion, it threw the enemy off balance and it had the added benefit of covering for all the other times when he didn't actually know what he was doing but could pretend he was joking when caught out.

Only Daniel Jackson seemed oblivious to Vala's pretence and it was only Dr. Jackson who was irritated by it.

"You know Vala," Dr. Jackson added with a final yank on his shoelace, "if you don't pay attention in the briefings you could endanger us all."

Vala kept her expression careless, determined not to show her hurt, how did he not know her like the others? Why was he always so determined to find fault with her actions? She did not think it was her imagination that Daniel's tone had become more acerbic than usual. In recent weeks she had noticed a steady increase in his irritation with her. Certainly she hadn't done anything to warrant it . . . well not lately. As a matter of fact she'd even made several attempts at lightening things up between them and had been confusingly met with more hostility. She found her own patience wearing thin and instead of retorting, determined with increasing ire that she would enter the stargate on Sam's side.

Vala tried to ignore the superstitious thought that missions never went well unless she went on the left of Daniel. After all plenty of missions had gone badly even when she had gone through the stargate on his left side. But, she argued with herself, the right side missions hadn't just gone badly they had been disastrous. She'd almost talked herself into staying near Daniel when he gave her a pointed look.

"I mean why even turn up at all if you aren't aware of why we're going or where? You don't have to be here. Nobody makes you tag along."

Tag along? He made it sound like she neither contributed to the mission nor was wanted. Her lip trembled for a microsecond before she narrowed her eyes and moved pointedly to the other side of Sam who herself looked taken aback by Daniels outburst.

Daniel was equally surprised at himself but he was not regretful. He couldn't seem to help snapping at Vala lately, perhaps if she could just be serious about something_;_ the missions, their work, the interplanetary crisis's they faced! Recently she had seemed more frivolous than ever and he'd wondered unhappily if she was able to truly care about _anything_. Everything with her was a game, a joke, a light-hearted moment and recently it had begun to bother him more than it ever had before.

The whirring of the final chevron slowed and the stargate splash back leapt at them before stabilising. Colonel Mitchell fumbled for something he never found and muttered unhappily to himself before resolutely stepping through the event horizon. The team followed.

x x x

The team blinked as their eyes adjusted to the decrease in light.

"Sam, where the hell are we?" said Cameron Mitchell. "If this is PX37562 then it has undergone some serious climate change . . . and the MALP has disappeared." Cam shone his torch from side to side confirming this.

A dimly lit ice cavern and temperatures barely above freezing greeted them while the mountainous scape and temperate weather was nowhere to be found.

Sam slipped a laptop from her backpack and plugged it into the DHD. "Give me a second, I'm getting some strange readings." Sam pressed buttons rapidly.

"This isn't PX37562." Vala announced blandly. "We're on PX38956."

"Funny." Daniel said flatly believing her remark was another retort toward his earlier rebuke about not knowing the planets designation.

"Actually Daniel," said Sam slowly, "Vala is right, it is PX38956."

"She is?" Daniel gave Vala a look that revealed that he was both impressed and surprised.

Ordinarily Vala would have felt pleased, there were few things she liked better than to shock or impress Daniel but she was preoccupied with their location and in particular getting away from it without giving away that she wanted to get away from it.

"It looks like we were diverted from PX37562." Sam studied the laptop before looking up. "How did you know where we are Vala?"

Vala felt all eyes on her. Cameron and Sam were openly curious, Teal'c was unreadable but Daniel's look was clearly accusing.

"I had nothing to do with us being diverted." She snapped at Daniel guessing his thoughts. "I certainly wouldn't have brought us . . . here." Vala stopped herself abruptly and after an obvious pause she tried to disguise the stiffness in her own voice. "I recognise this planet, that's all. I've been here before." She shrugged diffidently and directed her gaze away from the others.

"Oh right," a small grimace briefly touched Sam's expression before she returned to her calculations. She knew that much of Vala's past was unpleasant and judging from her reaction it seemed this planet fitted into that category. "Well I'll have to do a check on the DHD at this end before I dial earth."

"Earth?" said Cameron. "Why not just redial PX37562?"

"There has to be a reason we were diverted from there," Sam explained. "And it could happen again. It could be anything from a black hole, to a diversion program, a force field, an obelisk, some sort of gate safety override -."

"Okay, okay, I get it," said Cam, "so how long is this going to take?"

Sam shook her head. "It depends, if everything checks out it'll be about ten minutes. If not, then it could be a while."

"Well hurry it up! It's freezing." Colonel Cameron Mitchell used his authoritative tone and Colonel Samantha Carter raised her eyebrows in amusement since they were of equal rank.

"Well it is," he defended stamping his feet in the cold.

"In the event that Colonel Carter is delayed perhaps we should look for something combustible," added Teal'c.

"Fire. Good idea," said Cameron.

Sam gave Teal'c a sideways glance of thanks. She could work much faster without Cameron hovering about.

Vala stood silent hugging herself. She hated the cold, particularly on this planet – she stridently broke the thought. She did not want to remember.

"Want to talk about it?" Daniel came quietly along side her.

Vala shook her head slowly. Her eyes were distant momentarily before they met his. "Not here. Maybe later." She gave him a thin smile that drifted away.

Daniel thought it unlikely that she would talk about it later. She was like that, he thought, always in the moment, though not entirely in this instant he suspected, catching sight of her faraway expression. It had been a long time since he'd seen Vala this disturbed, distracted . . . distant? His linguistic training forced him to consider the exact word. He felt an unexpected and overpowering urge to squeeze her hand and with appalling haste stepped away from temptation. "I'll see if I can't help Sam speed it up."

Vala stared after him. "Now, he takes me at my word," she muttered to herself but her eyes were shifting around the room and were inevitably drawn beyond the stargate where Teal'c and Cameron had headed.

"Nothing wrong on this end." Sam said thoughtfully. "I'll need to check the SGC computers, maybe they'll show what went wrong." Sam replaced the panel of the DHD. "Cam! Teal'c! Forget the firewood!"

Sam moved towards the dialling device.

Vala felt a sense of relief. The sooner they were all away from here the better.

"Colonel Carter," Teal'c spoke solemnly as he appeared with Cameron in tow, "I believe it would be unwise to dial earth right now."

"Why's that?" Sam said, her hand retracting promptly away from the chevrons instinctively trusting her teammate.

"I think you guys better see for yourself," Cameron said already hurrying back the way he had come.

"Indeed." Teal'c had a steady gaze that swept the group and fell lastly on Vala.

Vala had always thought that Teal'c had some unique ability to see straight through to the heart, to the character of a person and assess them. Were they telling the truth? Did they have the courage to accomplish the task? She had been on the receiving end before, sometimes finding approval, sometimes not but never had she met his gaze and found him uncertain to the answer, as he seemed now.

Teal'c's indecisive expression filled Vala with an unexpected sense of impending doom.

Sam and Daniel began to follow Cameron and even as Teal'c still held her gaze Vala started after them, as if by her motion she could escape her fears but she knew that rather than escaping them, her very steps headed her towards them and though they were perhaps only memories, ahead was a more permanent reminder of all that had happened here, a reminder that she had hoped never to look upon again.

The cavern ended and the rest of the team had halted beside a long block of ice, the shape of a tube, or a coffin. The outer surface was frosted with snow and cold but Cameron had evidently cleared a portion of it so that now a window had been made to it's interior.

Daniel looked first and shot a look back at Vala then seemed to change his mind and turned back to the window just as abruptly.

Sam approached and looked stunned. "Is that . . .?" She looked at the others then Vala.

Vala gazed with horror upon the vessel ahead and forced herself to take another step towards it as she fought the terror it evoked. The others had parted and were staring at her strangely. It was almost as if they knew what had happened here, but that was ridiculous! It was impossible for them to understand why this device unnerved her, impossible for them to know what had happened here all those years ago.

Suddenly it occurred to Vala that their behaviour might be a reaction to what they had seen inside the tube. Was it possible the device had been used again?

Disgust and horror overcame fear and with a final step Vala reached the window and peered in. She had hoped to see nothing. She had prepared herself to see a face staring from the ice but she had not prepared herself to see this face, the face that stared at her now.

She turned back to the others with the intention of making a glib comment, something about how gorgeous she looked entombed in ice but her lips had suddenly become numb and she found herself assailed by an onslaught of memories that she had tried long and hard to repress.

x x x


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Vala sat up too quickly and found the entire team hunched over her. Daniel was holding her head and Sam was taking her pulse.

"Are you alright?" Daniel asked.

Vala wasn't sure she could respond. Was she alright? "I'm fine." She lied decisively then changed her mind as she sat and the dizziness caught her. "I think."

"Vala, do you have any idea how this can be?" Daniel indicated the ice tomb.

She stood shakily and stared at herself a long moment. "I guess this is the past." Vala stated what was clearly the logical answer but at the same time her heart raced as her thoughts offered the possibility that in fact this was the present and that she had never left that icy prison at all, that this reality was a dream that she was inventing. As she continued to stare at the face, the face that was her, for a moment it was as if she was her. Staring at a wall of ice, unable to move, the cold ebbing into her body, this life, the life of SG1 nothing more than a delusion, an imagining by a mind that had fractured with long imprisonment. She felt giddy on her feet.

"Woah there, take it easy." Cam had grabbed her arm just as Daniel grabbed the other and she caught the look of concern that shot between them.

No, they were real. They had to be. "I'm fine really. It's just a bit of a shock." Vala told herself as much as them. She continued to shiver and found herself unable to take her eyes off the ice.

"I think maybe Vala and I should go back to the gate." Daniel suggested to Cam.

"I should check the DHD again," said Sam, "correlate the data from it to see if I can confirm that this is the past."

"Right, Teal'c and I will scout around a bit more, see what else might be back here." Cam gestured.

"Actually that would be a bad idea." said Sam.

"Why?" Cam frowned.

"If this is the past," she said, "we don't want to do anything that might disrupt the timeline."

"Right, timeline disruption bad." Cameron agreed. "Back to the gate for all us then and nobody step on any bugs."

x x x

Sam had set up her equipment while Cam paced nervously but silently. Teal'c stood stoically gazing thoughtfully at the gate.

Daniel was guiding Vala away to some flattish boulders that had tumbled from the caverns sides.

"How about we sit down Vala?" Daniel began in that tone he used to calm her.

Vala knew that tone well but it wasn't the tone that calmed her, it was never the tone. Inevitably the tone came with his touch and in this instance it was the gentle touch of his fingers upon her arm that caught her attention, bringing her some comfort with the warmth of them against her icy flesh.

"I'm so cold," she flicked a look towards the icetomb behind her and Daniel bent to get a blanket from the packs and wrapped it around her.

He waited till she seemed more settled.

"You said this is the past?" Daniel encouraged.

"Yes," Vala nodded abstractly, "I think but maybe it isn't."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

Vala chewed on her thumbnail. "What if I'm still in that thing? My whole life after escaping it, meeting you, becoming a part of SG1. This could be a delusion." She waved her arms about alarmed. "I knew it. It was all too good to be true. Things like this don't happen to me, things like that do."

"Vala, I am not a delusion." Daniel cupped her chin forcing her to make eye contact as he tried to calm her.

Vala stared back at the serious eyes of Daniel Jackson. She wasn't sure she was at all capable of imagining someone so . . . so good and so infuriating at the same time but suddenly it occurred to her that if he _was_ a delusion then she ought to be able to direct her control over the situation. It was win-win really. If he was a delusion she was going to indulge in it fully and if not . . . well she would be very thankful she was not inside the ice!

"Daniel?" she said boldly though her smile was thin, "you're _sure_ you are not a delusion?"

"I'm sure," he said firmly.

"Would you do something for me then?" She asked.

"If I can." Daniel waited for her request with evident concern.

"Warm me up. I mean," she altered her tone coyly, "if you're not a delusion than body heat -"

"Vala!" Daniel huffed and stood up angrily. "You're unbelievable!" He was furious with himself and with her. To think that he'd believed that she was really upset, really cold but it was just another game to her. Why did he ever give her sympathy?

"You're right," Vala told him, "not a delusion, you'd make a lousy one. I have a much better imagination." Her tone was missing her usual playfulness and she placed her chin in her hand, rested her arm upon her knees and stared abjectly into space.

Vala didn't know what in the universe possessed her to give Daniel yet another opportunity to reject her. Especially not at a time like this, even if it was somewhat reassuring that he wasn't a delusion.

She'd told herself time and again not to do it because it broke her heart every time and took her days to get out of the mood it put her in. The trouble was that there were times when he looked at her when she couldn't help believe he felt the same way and she kept hoping – but a girl like her should know better than to hope. Tears were threatening and Vala pursed her lips and got to her feet defiantly. It was time to face facts and put hope behind her. "You know Daniel – " Vala began tersely.

"We _are_ in the past," cried Sam, "right again Vala!" Sam looked up triumphantly from her electronic calculations before registering the expressions on Daniel and Vala's faces. Clearly her jubilance in the discovery was not reciprocated. She grimaced.

Contrary to his expression Daniel was glad of the interruption. He'd had a sudden fear that Vala was about to say something irrevocable. He saw that he'd overreacted to her suggestion, discovered belatedly that she was every bit as upset as he'd first thought her. He'd realised it as soon as she spoke but he could not think how to take it back or of anyway he could comfort her. Well that wasn't entirely true. He could not think of how to comfort her _appropriately_, several other methods of comforting her had come to mind thanks in part to Vala's suggestion. He didn't need prompting; he struggled enough to remind himself that those sorts of thoughts were foolish, dangerous to even contemplate. To Vala his actions would be perhaps a welcome distraction, perhaps a brief amusement soon forgotten but not necessarily something as meaningful as comfort.

But now as she stared at him coldly he wished that he had done something. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to shake the fatigue that suddenly plagued him.

"Time travel? I thought that the new dialing protocols at SGC prevented that?" He said back to Sam.

"It should have," said Sam.

"Well clearly they haven't." Vala accused Sam, finding her irritation redirected.

"I don't think our dialling program is the problem," Sam stated unflinchingly. "I'm guessing here but I suspect that we must have crossed a solar flare when we were diverted from PX 37562. Whatever diverted us can't have had the safety protocols in place."

"Wait," said Cam, "If I remember correctly the mission reports from P2X-555, and I do." He added for emphasis, "Then in order to travel forward in time, to our own time we need to pass through another solar flare."

"Yes," said Sam.

"And predicting solar flares is not possible, unless you have data from the future or the present," Cam paused in confusion and making a gesture with his hands added, "whatever."

"Right again but-" Sam was cut short.

"And," Cam stressed the word, "I'm guessing we aren't going to have access to that information on a sun from another solar system."

"No." Sam said sombrely.

"I knew it," Cameron shook his head. "I knew I should have gone back for my lucky pin."

Vala looked at him with commiseration that Colonel Mitchell did not understand.

"Theoretically it shouldn't matter which sun we use," said Sam, "we could use the earths solar flares."

"I hope you are telling me this for a reason Sam," said Cameron. "I'm going to be awfully disappointed if you tell me you don't have the knowledge of when Earth's solar flares happen."

"Oh I have that recorded . . . after the last time. No, that's not the problem." Sam frowned.

Cameron Mitchell leant forward. "What's the problem?"

"Well, in order to use a solar flare I need to know _when_ this is."

Cam relaxed. "Easy. We'll dial earth and ask them."

The entire team looked at Cameron dumbfounded.

"What?" he said.

"Apart from the disruption in the timeline that could cause," Sam said patiently, "we don't even know if SGC is in operation."

"Sure we do," Cameron said contemplating that playing dumb didn't always encourage expedience. "Vala's here. I mean I know she's here, here," he gestured towards his teammate, "but also over there, in the ice." He added unnecessarily. "It can't have happened that long ago, SGC must be around."

"True," Sam agreed unenthusiastically, "but contacting the SGC is still risky, we have no idea what events might be unfolding at this point in time. Not until we know the date and even then." Sam shrugged.

"Vala," Daniel said hesitantly, "do you have any idea when you were here?"

"It would have to be in relation to earth dates," Sam added.

Vala looked at them all. She really did feel incredibly cold. "Six years ago, I can't give you better than that."

"_You_ can." Cameron said keenly. "If we freed her, she might-"

"Absolutely not," Vala shook her head. "That," she pointed, "is not me. That is Qetesh . . . or will be." She mumbled the latter.

Daniel gave her a sharp look. He'd caught her words and he'd been wondering about the timing. "What exactly do you mean by or will be?"

"Nothing." Vala shrugged unconvincingly and as the team stared she continued reluctantly. "Just that it will be Qetesh when she wakes up." Many of the memories that Vala had whilst host to Qetesh were buried but this instance had been different.

"Vala?" Daniel insisted. "What aren't you saying?"

Vala took a deep breath, "I think, that is I guess, since those memories are Qetesh's, that she had been placed here, in the device, by an enemy as punishment." Vala attempted to look bored.

"I don't understand," Cameron spoke candidly. "Punishment? Aren't you in some kind of stasis?"

Vala shook her head slowly. "This particular device has been adapted so that only the body is in stasis while the consciousness remains alert. Unfortunately Qetesh's rival was apparently unaware of Goa'uld physiology and it didn't have exactly that affect."

Nobody quite wanted to ask what that meant but Daniel could guess. He took hold of Vala's hands involuntarily. "Q'tesh relinquished her control over you didn't she?"

Vala shifted her eyes from Daniel's intense gaze to the others. "I suspect she felt my warm personality was her only hope. Qetesh certainly couldn't get any frostier." Vala was uncomfortable with the open concern and pity that her team was displaying and was dismayed that her mock nonchalance made no impact upon them.

Daniel Jackson's jaw clenched.

"You're not saying you're awake in that ice?" Cameron was incredulous.

Vala was shivering more fiercely now and gave up all pretence. "More like aware."

Daniel had heard enough and understood all too clearly. Qetesh had been unwilling to face wakefulness inside an icy tomb and must have retreated from Vala's consciousness. Hibernating away, perhaps even enjoying the torture of Vala as she endured being buried alive. "How long?" He wondered aloud.

"I . . ." Vala said shaking her head helplessly.

She did not know. The concept of time would not be worth remembering and Daniel regretted asking. Had Qetesh even expected rescue? Had Vala?

They were all silent. Daniel felt the ice in Vala's fingers that he still held.

"All the more reason to do something about it." Cameron insisted. "We can't leave _Vala_ like that." He gestured with his head towards the tube.

There was a long awkward pause as everyone thought about it.

Vala wasn't so much thinking it over as remembering. "Yes we can." she said resolutely, "It's the past."

"Changing the events of the past would alter Vala Mal Doran's future and in turn our own." Teal'c cautioned.

"Oh yeah," Cameron said.

Vala was feeling suddenly a lot colder with all this talk and her teeth began to chatter. "The point is that if you wake, me/her, you wake Qetesh," said Vala.

Vala felt another set of shivers come over her and as she closed her eyes she thought she saw ice enclosed about her, her eyelids unable to close, her voice unable to utter a scream. There was nothing but her thoughts, her mind, her fears.

"Vala?"

She jumped as Daniel spoke and he seemed to have taken her by the shoulders at some point.

"Can we get out of here please?" Vala suggested, "I'm frozen." The pun was not lost on her and she quickly added, "And I'm not trying to be funny."

Daniel gave her a wry smile but noted alarmingly that Vala was starting to shake uncontrollably.

"The girls got a point," began Cam, "It's cold and we won't survive this temperature indefinitely. We've got no reason to stay here, we can figure out how to get home somewhere else."

"Maybe," said Sam, "but it's just a matter of where. At this time the Goa'uld are still very much active, we also don't want to risk running into any past SGC teams, including ourselves or allies or any one else who may alter the timeline. I'll need to scan the gate addresses for somewhere suitable."

"Do what you can Sam," Colonel Mitchell said and then added quietly, "but make the choice sooner rather than later." He sent a pointed look towards Vala.

Sam gestured to him that she wanted a quiet word. "I'm a bit concerned about that actually. Something is not right about this, about Vala. I mean I'm cold but I'm not that cold. None of us are, except Vala."

"Well, she's had a bit of a shock," Cameron said but his expression told her that the thought had occurred to him as well.

"It could be that." Sam felt uneasy about dismissing it, something about it nagged at her but the best she could do right now was find a nice warm, uninhabited planet to gate to. She began scrolling the list.

"Guys!" Daniel called urgently.

Sam looked over and saw that Vala had begun to turn blue and for a second she seemed so pale that she almost seemed to disappear against the ice.

"Sam what about PX37562?" Cameron suggested. "It's warm, there's no goa'uld and we haven't been there before, even in this timeline it's a safe bet."

"We might be diverted again, we could end up somewhere worse." Sam worried.

Cam looked back at Vala whose eyes had begun to roll one moment before they refocused.

"Here's the plan. Dial PX37562, I'll go ahead first, if it checks out I'll radio back and you guys come on through."

Sam was reluctant. Something about this seemed wrong but watching Vala shut her eyes as she almost lost consciousness hastened her to dial.

Cam stepped through the gate and within moments his radio came through clear.

"All good here. Move it people!" Cameron shouted.

Vala stood shakily with Daniels help and then walked the final steps to the gate alone. The vortex of the Stargate surrounded her, startling cold and blue, like an eternal wall of ice moving in on her as if it could smother reality. Ice, ice, everywhere, everything, ice.

x x x


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Sunshine, warmth, Daniel felt its embrace as he stepped from the Stargate. Whatever awaited them here Vala at least would be warmer and the rest of them too. He heard the sound of Sam's steps behind him and the sudden silence as the stargates' hum ceased, signalling its closure.

Ahead of him stood Teal'c and Cameron.

"Where's Vala?" Daniels eyes were full of alarm. "She stepped through before me!"

"She can't have, she must be back there." Colonel Mitchell did not seem as certain as he sounded.

"I was the last one through," Sam said, eyes wide and shaking her head.

"She can't just have disappeared right?" Colonel Mitchell had done half a spin as if he expected to see her behind him.

"Then where –" Daniel broke off mid sentence. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by columns of light and the floor beneath him was shiny.

"Where?" prompted Cameron who was suddenly a step closer than he had been a moment ago. The grass was again beneath Daniels feet and above him stood the mountains and beyond them sky.

"I was just in Atlantis." Daniel said suddenly. "At least that's what it looked like."

"Uh oh," said Sam, "that is not good."

Teal'c raised his eyes to hers while Cam and Daniel edged closer.

"Talk to me Sam!" Cameron said urgently.

Sam had begun to pace. "I don't know how but I think we've altered the timeline."

"Altered the timeline? We haven't done anything. How can we have altered the timeline?" Cam cried.

"I don't know but it's the only thing that makes sense," said Sam, "Vala getting colder and colder, her disappearance and now Daniel being in Atlantis. It all adds up to a change in the timeline."

"Sam's right," Daniel felt his whole body weaken at the staggering implications. "Vala is not here. If she isn't here she never stole the Prometheus, she never came to earth and she didn't stop me from travelling to Atlantis . . . twice."

"You're saying Daniel's going to be disappearing too?" Cameron said.

"I'm saying we all will, probably," said Sam, "If Daniel went to Atlantis then Teal'c and I-"

"I'd never have got the band back together!" Cameron concluded.

"Well, yes." Sam agreed with a grimace.

"Well what can we do about it?" Cameron impatiently grabbed his sidearm as if he could somehow shoot his way out this dilemma.

"I'm not sure." Sam said.

"This all began with Vala," Daniel said. "We've got to go back there. Somehow the answer is there."

Daniel did not wait for consensus and was already dialling the planet. Perhaps Vala, the Vala of now was still there as Cameron had suggested. What if she wasn't? What if she was gone? What if the timeline could not be repaired and he never saw her again? The chevrons moved around the gate slower than he ever remembered.

Suddenly Daniel Jackson was staring at the language of the ancients, columns of light illuminated his office too brightly and books that he had brought from Earth were piled upon every flat surface, some in ways that dangerously defied gravity. He snapped off the computer screen and stared blankly at the stars above Atlantis, feeling empty.

Homesickness, he called it though earth had never truly been his home. Abydos had been the only place that had come close to feeling like home and it was gone, just as Sha're was gone, his parents before that and now even SG-1 though Sam, Jack and Teal'c were a ship ride away. He sighed, of course he had his work and he took a great deal of comfort and satisfaction from it but was there nothing more? He heard the sound of the gate as it activated behind him, inside his Atlantean office! He turned in surprise to stare at it.

The stargate swirled in front of him and a hand clasped his shoulder.

"Are you alright Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c inquired, the mountain scape behind his huge form.

"My life on Atlantis is so empty," Daniel was both astonished and horrified.

Teal'c guessed at the implications of the words. "We will restore the timeline."

Daniel felt better hearing it from Teal'c despite knowing it was a completely baseless assurance. He stepped through the gate.

x x x

The frozen air bit at Daniel as he exited the gate but its sting was less than the distress that Vala, their Vala was not here.

Cameron had run past the gate to Vala/Qetesh's icy tomb. Without question the rest of the team followed.

"Well, she's still here!" He rubbed his hand across his chin. "So how can we have disrupted the timeline? We haven't done anything!"

"We came here," said Sam biting her lip in thought.

"Is it possible we prevented Vala Mal Doran's being awakened with our first arrival?" Teal'c asked.

Sam nodded, "I guess so. We could have arrived at the precise moment someone else activated the gate who was going to wake Qetesh."

"That's a hell of a coincidence," said Daniel. "Why wouldn't whoever it was just try again?"

Sam shrugged, "If Qetesh was sent here as punishment, maybe someone trying to rescue her was escaping to here and were caught when the stargate failed or maybe it was a random traveller not intending to rescue Qetesh at all who dialled wrong the first time inadvertently ending up here. Really there is an infinite number of possibilities and -."

"Does it really matter _what_ happened to stop Vala waking?" Cameron interrupted rudely. "I mean," he added more politely, "that what is important is that Vala needs to be woken. So can't we just wake her? Isn't that all we need to do to restore the timeline?" Cameron bounced anxiously on his heels.

"Theoretically," Sam corrected, " if, and that's a big if, we've prevented her being woken then it _might_ correct our timeline to a closer version of what we know."

Cameron had folded his arms over his chest. "Closer?"

"Since we've no idea who we might have prevented, or why or even, if, we have. It may effect Qetesh's future actions."

"Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c's taunt voice halted the conversation.

Samantha Carter and Cameron Mitchell shifted their attention to Daniel who had his hand upon the ice that encased Vala of the past. He stared at it with an intent that revealed his misery.

"Can you think of any other explanation Sam?" Daniel asked sombrely. "She was getting colder and colder, as if she was still trapped in the ice. I thought she was just remembering but now . . .I think she was still there, in the future. In our present! All that time, still there, still trapped in this device."

They all shuddered at the thought.

Daniel Jackson lifted his eyes to the team. "I'm not going to leave her like this, even if it doesn't change things for us. I'm going to wake her. If it doesn't bring our Vala back to us, at least she won't be stuck like this, here, forever."

Sam nodded slowly. One way or another they were leaving this timeline.

"It's been nice knowing y'all." Cameron said conceding.

"Indeed," added Teal'c.

Daniel pushed the button. The ice began to melt and mesmerised they watched as Vala's form appeared.

Daniel swept aside a wet strand of Vala's raven hair. Her eyes that had been open had shut, her lips were still blue from the cold, her skin remained pale and her breath was not evident. "She's not reviving!" He looked at the others helplessly as they stared back.

Daniel Jackson leant close to Vala. "No, don't do this. Don't give up, you're stronger than this -"

He frowned frustrated, there was so much he wanted to say to her about how one day she would be free of Qetesh, how she would find where she belonged but he was aware of the paradox that anything he said could alter the timeline and affect how Qetesh behaved if she did wake and hear him. But he had to say something! Somehow urge her to fight, live, survive. Suddenly he decided there was something he could do, some way he could convey to her everything he felt, everything he hoped for her without speaking a single word in a way that Qetesh would never understand. He cradled Vala's face and brushed his lips gently over hers. He imagined the warmth of her breath. It seemed so real. It was real.

"She's reviving," Sam said in relief and wonder.

Daniel looked on in amazement, Vala's eyes fluttering.

"Guys, I've just remembered something." Cameron pointed gingerly with a bent finger at the tomb. "That is about to be Qetesh!"

"Yeah," said Sam slowly backing away, "you're right."

"I suggest we conceal ourselves." Teal'c had already begun to move towards the Stargate.

"Daniel!" Sam called but the archaeologist was bent over Vala's body.

Daniel Jackson ignored them. He might never see their Vala again; this Vala might take another path.

For just a moment her eyes opened, glowed with the symbiont's power and shut again. Qetesh would soon take her over. It might be the last moment he'd ever have with Vala.

"I love you," Daniel found that he had uttered the words aloud unintentionally and discovering that he had, took the chance to say just one more thing in spite of his earlier conviction. Perhaps somehow it would make a difference. "Find me." Daniel whispered over her desperately.

Qetesh's eyes fought to open again.

"Dammit Jackson," Cameron grabbed hold of his pack and dragged him along.

The four of them began running to the gate.

"I'm assuming dialling the gate is out of the question?" Cameron asked.

"I doubt there's enough time and we can't take the chance of Qetesh following." Sam shook her head.

"That's what I thought," said Cam. "I guess we better hope Qetesh is eager to leave."

There was a roar of fury from the other end of the cave as Qetesh swore vengeance in Goa'uld upon her enemies.

Daniel and Teal'c understood the words but Sam and Cameron had no idea and dared not ask for translation as they all took cover behind some boulders.

Daniel held his breath and saw that the others had readied their weapons. They were not hid well and Qetesh would find them easily if she decided to look. Although she had no weapon and posed no physical threat to them, visual sighting would be bad for the timeline and incapacitating her might be harmful to Vala's body right now. Belatedly it occurred to him that urging Vala to find him might not have been the best idea. At the time he had been thinking of her more distant future.

Qetesh staggered forward to the DHD anxious to leave this place. She had no idea how she came to be free, it had been difficult to suppress her host's consciousness and her own thoughts were disordered and disorientated. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was free and that she was going to make sure she never saw this planet again.

x x x

The team emerged from the boulders and stared at the now vacant gate and the surrounding cavern. Vala, their Vala had not reappeared.

"She really is gone," Daniel said.

The others were silent.

Daniel noticed that everything seemed muted without Vala. He found little consolation in the knowledge that he would soon forget her and find himself in a life devoid of her on Atlantis. Neither did he take comfort from having told her past self that he loved her. He had done so because he did love her. It was ironic that he could recognise it now.

Recognise and accept that his recent irritation with her was born of it. Her vitality, her playfulness and the insincerity of her remarks all in such stark and utter disparity to the deep feelings he had developed for her and the misery of his denial. He longed for it now, discovering that the torment he felt alongside her did not compare with the anguish he felt at having lost her completely. At least Vala was free of the ice prison even if his own heart would remain frozen never knowing her warmth.

Suddenly the ground began to shake, the chevrons pulsed, the icicles from the ceiling showered droplets of water.

"Do you think Qetesh forgot something?" said Colonel Mitchell.

"Perhaps it is the one who might have been her rescuer," said Teal'c.

"Any way you dice it, it's trouble." Colonel Mitchell ushered his team behind the boulder again.

"I think Qetesh would be more likely to blow the planet up then return to it," Sam said and then gaped.

The team looked at each other in horror, each wondering if the gate would reveal some kind of naquadah bomb.

The final chevron shuddered and the splashback rushed towards them before the vortex of the event horizon rippled steadily.

A few seconds passed before footsteps were heard upon the ice.

"Vala!" Daniel responded first, throwing himself at her and swamping her in his arms. Recovering himself he pulled back and left his hands upon her upper arms. "Are you okay? How did you get here? Where were you?"

"Where were _you_?" She retorted. "I came to on that planet and none of you were anywhere to be found." Vala waved her arms dramatically, "I didn't know what else to do but come back here and hope you hadn't come through with me or that you'd all returned for some reason. Does it seem a bit warmer here?"

Daniel was grinning at her manically.

She smiled uncertainly back. "Well?" Vala decided Daniel wasn't going to answer so she looked over at the others. "Where were you?"

Sam looked at Cameron's befuddled expression and knew it was up to her to explain. "We did go through to the planet but you didn't. Well actually you must have but since the timeline had been disrupted you were no longer with us, at least not while we were on the planet, in our time dimension that is. Which of course is why we realised that we must have done something to the timeline or in your case prevented something or rather someone–"

"We altered the timeline," Cameron summed it up, "somehow messed up waking past you up. We went through the gate, you disappeared, we came back here, we fixed the timeline by waking you, the other you, past you up and then you - you came back here."

"Thanks Cam," Sam said dryly.

"Ahh, I see" Vala thought for a moment then nodded. "Wait, did you just say you woke past me up?"

Cameron smirked. "Well actually Jackson pressed the button and then he-"

"Yes," Daniel added quickly. "We woke you. We thought it was the best way to restore the timeline."

"_You_, woke me?" Vala repeated and her brow wrinkled in thought.

"Yes." Daniel dismissed the subject. "Look, I think we ought to concentrate on getting home. More specifically off this planet in case Qetesh does decide to blow it up."

"Oh yes," Vala laughed, "so she did, it was one of the few times I agreed with her - oh . . ." The impact of her statement registered with the group and herself. "I think leaving now would be a very good idea."

The team agreed and Sam dialled the gate without hesitation. Even a slight delay might be enough time for Qetesh to enact her plan. The gate engaged without trouble and the team gave a collected sigh of relief.

"Let's arrive on the other side with everyone this time," said Cameron nodding to Vala and Daniel to go through. He watched the two pass into the event horizon. "Sam," Cameron Mitchell held his arm out in front of her as she prepared to go through the gate. "Just so we're clear. We are just going to pretend like we didn't see or hear what Daniel said to Vala right?"

Sam made firm eye contact. "Definitely."

Teal'c nodded just once.

"Good plan," Mitchell added his agreement.

x x x


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Cameron Mitchell did a mental head count twice of his team and allowed himself a moment to enjoy the warmth and fresh air of PX37562. "So Sam, do you think we have restored the timeline?"

"There's no way to tell and if we haven't we may not even be aware of it but I think the fact that Vala is back with us and Daniel hasn't had any flashes of Atlantis is a good sign."

"Flashes of Atlantis?" Vala asked Daniel.

He only nodded.

"The consequences of time disruption." Sam explained in brief.

"I see," Vala said remembering that she had prevented Daniel from getting there not once but twice. "Well I bet it was boring there without me." She needled Daniel.

"It was certainly quieter," Daniel retorted but his tone was sombre and he dropped his gaze.

Vala stared at him quizzically.

"We've still got that nagging problem of getting home." Cameron said. "I vote for calling the SGC, we don't identify ourselves and we get the date."

"I'd actually been thinking that was our best bet too." Sam said.

"You have?" said Cam.

"I was thinking that if we went to a planet that we – SG1 had been to in the past, a planet that SGC is most likely already aware of in this timeline, we could dial earth. That way if they trace the stargate address we would be minimising disruption. We'll need to keep the contact minimal and Vala will have to do the talking."

"Me?" Vala said surprised and excited.

Sam nodded. "If Daniel, Teal'c or I speak and we happen to be in the control room at the same time or our voices are recognised that is going to cause a temporal paradox. There's also an outside chance that Cam's voice could be recognised or identified by someone on base but obviously not yours Vala."

"Gotcha," Vala nodded.

x x x

The lush fields of PXx-xxx were brilliant with purple flowers and the wormhole to earths SGC had been established.

"SGC this is" Vala halted at Sam's head shaking, "-nooo-onnnne in particular. Can you give me the date and time at your location please?"

"Who is this?" Sergeant Harriman's voice asked.

"Oh hi Walter," Vala smiled disarmingly despite the fact it was only her voice being transmitted.

Cam shook his head in disbelief. Vala shrugged then waved her hand at him dismissively.

"Who is this?" Walter repeated again.

"Actually, I can't tell you but if you could just give me the time and date on earth and then forget that this ever happened, I'd appreciate it." Vala singsonged.

"Is this SG-5?" Walters voice queried. "You were scheduled to check in at 0200 hours. What happened?"

Sam had covered her mouth with her hand aghast.

"SG-5?" Daniel mouthed silently looking about.

"And what time is it now?" Vala pressed Walter.

Daniel had taken the two-way from Vala and with resignation switched it to off. "A little after 0200 hours I'm guessing." He turned and motioned for Vala to do the same.

"Captain Carter, Dr Jackson, Teal'c," greeted Colonel Garraty, his team behind him. "Colonel," he nodded at Cameron quizzically. "Ma'm." He added to Vala. "What are you doing here?" His quick eyes had taken in Samantha's rank as well as the insignia's on Cameron and Vala's uniforms.

"Oh we're on a mission to screw up the timeline as much as we can," Cameron said bluntly.

Sam found a nervous laugh escaping her.

"What he means is," Daniel started, "actually no, pretty much what he said."

SG-5 was beginning to get nervous, their guns edging ever more to a ready position.

"We are in need of your assistance." Teal'c said firmly. "In order to return to our own timeline we require the correct time and date."

"Timeline?" Colonel Garraty repeated.

"Yes," said Sam, "I'm sure it's obvious by now we are from the future." Sam ignored the absurdity of her own remark. "And what we need is the current time and date on earth so we can return to our timeline," Sam paused, "and for you and your team to be ordered not to reveal anything that they have seen or heard in regards to us, otherwise you could significantly disrupt the timeline and endanger the safety of SGC in your own timeline."

"Not to mention that if any of you say anything, we'll have you busted down to cadet in the future." Cameron added.

Sam tried not to pull a face. Cam's grasp of temporal physics was almost as bad as Jack's. If the timeline was disrupted none of them would remain in this timeline to remember to bust anyone down to cadet.

Colonel Garraty remained severe in expression and surveyed SG-1 again. "You want the time and date? That's all?"

"Yes," said Sam. "I need to be able to correlate the current time and date with the data to return us to our correct time period."

"From this planet?" Colonel Garraty demanded.

"No." Sam admitted reluctantly, "we came to this address since it was known to the SGC at this time."

"So you do already know when you are." Garraty accused.

"We have a rough idea but nothing close enough to what we need." Sam replied.

"Look," Daniel interjected pressing his hands together in a plea fashion. "We just want the time and the date. We came here to try to prevent SGC from learning future addresses to try to minimise our impact on what is our past and your possible future."

"Obviously we aren't doing a very good job," Vala stated honestly.

Daniel shot her a look before turning back to Garraty. "I know suspicion is part of the job but I also know that unusual is too. Believe me, we don't mean you any trouble, we just want to go home."

"If you aren't willing to help us. We'll find another way." Colonel Mitchell stated folding his arms.

After a tense moment Colonel Garraty stated. "14th July 19xx, 02,36 hours"

Daniel thanked him profusely while Sam immediately altered her watch. Vala flashed the entire SG-5 team a brilliant smile while Teal'c nodded his thanks. Colonel Mitchell's thankyou was equally stoic.

Colonel Garraty ordered SG-5 to consider the conversation classified after which they had checked in with the SGC explained Vala's communication as a mishap with a villager and departed the planet but not before one of the SG-5 team worriedly whispered something about Dr. Jackson being dead.

x x x

SG-1 had decided to return themselves to PX37562 to assure no further interactions took place and Sam began to take apart the DHD in order to override the safety protocols so they could pass through the solar flare.

"It's just occurred to me that we might have been the cause of our time travel." Sam said in astonishment.

"How is that?" Cam asked. "This is the past."

"Since I've disabled the safety protocols of this gate, PX37562 it stands to reason that in the future, in our time, they're still disabled."

"So we sent ourselves back before we went?" said Cameron. "Wait, wait, what does that mean in regards to waking Vala? Does that mean we were meant to wake her?"

"I guess it's possible that Daniel was always the one to wake her."

Cameron smirked at the realisation and then noticed that Daniel and Vala were missing. "Woah, hold the phone, it looks like sleeping beauty and prince charming have disappeared on us again."

"Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran went to look for the artefact," said Teal'c.

"Don't scare me like that. Wait - together? Alone? Well, well, well looks like I won't be sitting in on the next IOA meeting," Cam said confidently referring to the teams wager on whether Jackson and Vala would finally admit their feelings to each other.

Colonel Carter tried to disguise her uneasiness, remembering that she had bet the next IOA meeting against Cam on this mission. "Didn't you say that last time?" She countered.

"Yeah, I did." Cam said dejectedly. "I swore those two were going to figure it out after being trapped in a cave for four days and nights. And that meeting . . ." Cam shook himself, "Ugh, alright all bets are off for this one."

"You demonstrate great wisdom Colonel Mitchell," said Teal'c.

"After six IOA meetings," Sam giggled.

"Yeah well those two just can't be predicted." Mitchell folded his arms.

x x x


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Daniel had stood at the gate waiting for Sam and Mitchell to confirm their plans but he had noticed that Vala was continuously giving him a questioning look. He feared that if he did not redirect her thoughts or escape her presence she would start asking him about Atlantis, or worse she might remember something about how she was woken.

He was not ready to discuss any of that. Not yet, maybe not ever. It was one thing to realise that having her out of his life was devastating and that torment with her was preferred but it did not make the torment less. His new found acknowledgement of those feelings was too raw to begin to understand if it was going to add a whole new level of anguish to his predicament.

He'd suddenly needed to move, to focus on something else. He had not forgotten that the original aim of this mission had been to translate the artefact. There was no reason why it should not exist in this timeline and although he would not want to tamper with it in case of more timeline disruption he could at least look at it, get a feel for what might be the scope of the site and determine what translation notes or equipment might be needed. It would save at least one more trip through the gate.

He announced his intentions to Teal'c but Vala had enthusiastically offered to come along citing that she needed to move around a bit to shake off the creepy ice cave. Daniel could not argue with her when she had put it like that and disastrously Teal'c had notified them that he would remain at the gate to inform the others of their actions.

Daniel took some solace that Vala had not mentioned remembering anything about being woken and that she would probably be distracted once they reached the ruins but the journey there was taking its toll on him.

Vala was unnaturally silent and Daniel was becoming convinced she knew something or that she'd remembered something. Could she possibly know how he felt? Was she feeling awkward? Appalled? Did she even care at all? He didn't know if he could handle her knowing. It was one thing for her to _suspect_ he had feelings for her and to make light of it, as he previously considered she had but it was quite another for her to _know_ he had feelings for her and reject them in such an offhand way. He was almost certain he couldn't handle questions in his current state, sure that the days events had left him incapable of summoning the necessary indifference of bluffing his way out of it this time. The best he could hope for was distraction and getting to these ridiculous ruins.

Vala walked beside Daniel listening to the soft crunching of the leaves beneath their feet that seemed to heighten the tension between them.

She could practically see it in the way Daniel walked, the sound of his breath, the utter silence. Somehow although his pace was steady he seemed to be running from her, forging ahead towards the ruins and she wondered why.

It was obvious he didn't want to talk but the silence weighed on her, she wasn't good at silence. She reminded herself that at times like this it was best not to start Daniel talking. Silence was definitely preferred to Daniel's rants, sometimes fury. She tried to convince herself that his sudden mood might not even have anything to do with her. She couldn't imagine what she could have done; unless of course it was Atlantis again.

A reminder of the opportunity she had ruined for him. Having seen Atlantis herself she could see why he might hold it against her a little bit but surely it was time he let go? Despite her decision to keep silent she found the words bubbling out of her.

"So Atlantis?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Please just drop it Vala."

Daniels response was terse and so quick that Vala believed she was right. Atlantis had been on his mind.

She could have kicked herself for bringing it up. Vala found herself picking up the pace. The sooner they got to these writings the better. She'd just about had enough of this day, it could not get worse.

x x x

Both Daniel and Vala breathed a sigh of relief as the forested trees suddenly thinned and there before them were the ruins.

Three lone arches, whose tops were chipped away by the weather or injury, were all that were left of one wall of a building the size of which could only be guessed on first inspection by the cleared but ever creeping forest. A squat pillar could be seen just beyond the arch standing like a lone sentinel of time.

"Well that is _-_" Daniel began.

"Odd." Vala finished.

"Concerning," Daniel added, pulling out the UAV printout and examining it before handing it to Vala in unspoken agreement as she came alongside.

Daniel circled the pillar to confirm his initial observation. "Nothing. No writing, no evidence that it ever had writing." Daniel puzzled aloud. " No doubt that it's the same pillar but there's nothing on it."

"Like I said odd." Vala reiterated. "The UAV printout clearly shows writing . . . quite nice penmanship too." Vala tilted her head to the side scrutinising the letters. Ancient D and V were standing alone in a rather flourished script that Vala herself liked and used having imitated it after seeing it once amongst ancient writings. It seemed the ancients generally preferred a more utilitarian style, which had made this find all the more fascinating. The words below the two letters were impossibly difficult to read.

Daniel stepped towards the pillar and brushed at it, examined its edges for buttons and stood back mystified. "Maybe the timeline has changed."

Vala felt her heart race. "But I distinctly remember seeing ancient writing on the UAV footage and here it is in black and white." She waved the UAV printout.

Daniel looked up from the pillar and over to Vala in mild surprise. She _had_ been paying attention at the mission briefing. He looked back to the pillar. "I can't explain it."

"Surely we wouldn't remember seeing it if the timeline had changed." Vala pressed. "Maybe someone is going to write it in the next eight years."

"Yeah, well that someone isn't likely to be an ancient," said Daniel.

"No. . . unless," Vala said thoughtfully, "the ancients were deliberately trying to send us a message."

Daniel cocked his head slightly as he thought about that. "That's an interesting thought but a message that obvious doesn't seem quite their style." He rubbed his eyes. "I've also never known the ancients to meddle with time travel." He continued to think aloud. "I wonder if they knew the timeline had been or was going to be disrupted so they used a little ancient writing in a ploy to send us back to wake you?"

"That's a nice theory Daniel but I didn't think the ancients were concerned with the individual and while I am wonderful I'm pretty certain I'm not that important."

"I was thinking of the more broad consequences of your absence in the timeline," Daniel reasoned scientifically. "But you're right. Since you are the mother of the Orici. It would make better sense to leave you in the ice."

"Thanks," Vala said flatly.

"I didn't mean I would." Daniel added hurriedly, "just that from the ancients point of view –"

"At best I'm unimportant and worst I'm dispensable." Vala finished unhappily.

Daniel knew she understood them a little too well. "Yeah well the ancients aren't exactly known for their compassion."

"No." Vala agreed sullenly. "A trait they share with their Ori relatives."

"You know I seem to remember that I may have disagreed with them on some subjects." He gave her a wry smile.

"You Daniel, disagree with someone?"

"Only when my entire reputation or life hangs in the balance because of it." He mused with a shake of his head and then he caught her staring at him with those soft blue eyes, seemingly seriously considering his entire meaning. Daniel felt an overwhelming sense of closeness between them. "Anyway, Cam couldn't have let the band fall apart."

Vala rolled her eyes. "You do know how to warm a girls heart," after a moments hesitation she added cheekily "and her lips."

Daniel slumped. So she'd remembered him waking her after all. "Fine let's get it all out in the open shall we?" He started wearily. "Yes I kissed you, you were dying and I thought I might never see you again but it doesn't change anything does it?"

Vala's forehead had furrowed. "You were kissing me?"

"Oh yes here come the jokes," Daniel rolled his eyes. "You call that a kiss?" He imitated her voice and then returned to his own angrily. "I'm sure you can do better than that but why not wait until the rest of the team can join in the hilarity?

"It was a legitimate question, it's a blurry memory." Vala said defensively.

"I'm sure and exactly what else would I being doing with your lips?" Daniel said grumpily folding his arms and looking away.

"Well I thought you were resuscitating me!" Vala said honestly.

"Oh . . ." Daniel responded abashed before quickly adding "and you thought that it would be funny to make a joke out of that?"

Vala shrugged helplessly. "You kissed me?" She asked again.

"Yes," he growled.

"Well you don't seem too happy about it?" Vala said confused.

"That is because I'm not."

"You wait until I'm dead or dying to kiss me, now you're what? Taking it back?" Vala was furious now.

"No, I'm not taking it back."

"Well that's what is sounds like."

"I'm saying that it doesn't change anything."

"It doesn't change anything? How can you say that?" Vala was mystified and Daniel missed the pained expression that flicked across her face.

"Can you say that it does?" He challenged. "Because I really don't see how. I mean okay maybe it does and maybe it should for one thing maybe you can stop the whole sexual flirting thing. I mean do you have any idea? Any! You think it's so hilarious to torment me well it isn't. And it's not like I am not aware how ridiculous it would be you and me - you. How utterly, utterly stupid and completely –"

"You do know that I'm inlove with you Daniel?" Vala broke in suddenly.

Daniel halted, opened his mouth to say something more and then closed it again. He stared at her another moment. "I didn't know that."

"Really?" Vala said surprised.

"Of course not. You're always . . ." Daniel moved his arms about, "joking and flirting and teasing and – just don't Vala." He shook his head despairingly. "Just, please, don't."

Vala let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know how to convince you that I'm telling the truth but I'm pretty sure everyone knows it but you. In fact I think there's a gambling game involving IOA meetings amongst SG teams about when and if we'll get together."

"What?"

Vala nodded. "Cam's lost the last six times."

"You're serious."

"Yes, although it might be seven –"

"Not about that," Daniels tone changed and he closed the space between them. "about . . ."

Vala nodded meeting his eyes, unwilling to say anything that might disturb the moment.

"You're not messing with me?"

She shook her head.

Daniel reached his hand out gently for her face and bent his head towards hers and then as if neither could bear the wait a moment longer they crossed the inches between them and kissed. Vala clutched at Daniel as if she feared he would change his mind, driving away any doubt he had about her intentions and he responded to hers by pressing his body against hers as he deepened the kiss. The world was distant to him, only Vala was real and an annoying buzzing sound. What was that?

Reluctantly Vala and Daniel parted, smiles, replacing breath and a promise that they would pick this up again later passed between them as Daniel picked up the walkie-talkie that he had inadvertently dropped.

"Jackson, Vala, do you copy?"

"Yeah we copy, Mitchell." Daniel could not stop smiling at Vala.

"You need to get back here now. Sam's found a flare correlation and the window of opportunity closes in 15minutes." Cam's voice came through clearly.

"Copy that. We're on our way." Daniel clicked the speaker to off.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Daniel cried seeing Vala scratching at the pillar with a knife. "Are you crazy, you'll ruin the timeline!"

She bit her lip as she smiled and shook her head. "Trust me, I'm not taking any chances. Which is exactly why I'm restoring it!"

Daniel looked more closely at what she had done. "You've written on it. . . in ancient. When did you learn ancient?"

She laughed, "Daniel do you know how much time I spend in your office daily?"

He looked at her amazed. How had he not noticed? How had he not noticed that she loved him? Why had it taken him so long to believe it?

"I kept thinking that the writing looked familiar." Vala explained. "Suddenly it occurred to me it's my writing!" She pulled out the UAV print from Daniel's pocket and handed it to him. "See?"

She stood back proudly for him to examine the pillar and the printout.

"When you were talking to Cameron," Vala continued to explain. "I was thinking how I wanted to remember this moment, capture it in time and I looked over at the pillar and the idea popped into my head and then, then I realised it was my writing!

"Well that explains why the writing wasn't here but Vala, what did you mean to write?" Daniel cocked his head to the side looking at the pillar.

"Mean to write? I did write! Can't you read it?" She sounded hurt.

"Well, I can read some of it." Daniel said carefully.

"What do you mean some of it? I have lovely penmanship!"

"It's not the writing. It's the meaning I can't make out." Vala had begun to pout and Daniel tried to placate her. "I can see the gate address for this planet and the word love."

Vala nodded.

"And I see the letters D and V, which I assume were code for me and you" he paused as she beamed and nodded, "but the other word, fact?"

Vala frowned, "True! True love. Well I didn't know the word for true, so I used truth, well not origin for obvious reasons, but another ancient word for truth or apparently. . . fact" She finished dejectedly.

Daniel laughed and took her arm. "I can't wait to justify this mission and the translation of that tablet in our next meeting with the IOA."

x x x

The End.

Thanks for reading my story I hope it was enjoyable and the end satisfying. Extra special thanks also to those of you who have reviewed, favourited and or followed so far. If you haven't done one of these and you liked my story please consider doing so. **Constructive** criticism is welcome ie. anything that jolted you out of the story, questions raised and not answered - anything. I am dedicated to improvement. Nice reviews are of course welcome as well! Have a great day/evening.  
>I do have another DanielVala fic on the go that will, I hope, go up here eventually. I like to finish my stories before publishing because I don't plan my stories and have that terrifying fear that I'll write myself into a corner - so it might be a month or six.


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